How Scheduling Morning Self Care Leads to Saner Parenting

Are your children out of school now and spending more time with you than ever before?

Do you now have added to the juggle of making meals, tending to your home and keeping up with work deadlines, the added intention to have a worthwhile summer with your child?

If you have been working towards the goal of making time for your self care, summers tend to add an extra challenge when you have children. As much as it’s a challenge, it’s all the more critical since more is being asked of you.

As A Mom Why Does Self Care Come Last?

If in becoming a parent we naturally step up our game in time management to make sure meals are made, budgets are kept, Dr. appointments are attended on time, laundry is done and work deadlines are met, why do we overlook time spent in self care? Why is it for so many mom’s not even on their radar?

Now that school is out, what are the chances that you will have the space in your schedule for your self care?

Have you planned it out?

Our Children Take In The Quality of Our Mood

If even the idea seems like lofty goal, know that the more we take care of our own needs, the more we have to give to our kids. I know for me, if it doesn’t get done first thing in the morning, it simply won’t happen

We are their biggest source of feeling anchored and balanced until they set out on their own. If we are exhausted and running on empty, we’re not much of a source and they naturally wobble in feeling secure and confident. Here is a post on 5 ways morning self care makes me a batter mom.

Filling Our Reserves

Summers can be enjoyable for us when we do our part to meet our needs. In filling ourselves with good feeling, our kids feel good. I think we too easily underestimate to the extent we as women set the tone in our home.

In building ourselves up with activities that fill us up in body , heart and mind first thing in the morning , there’s more chances of being able to continue it long term because there are no distractions. In rising before our kids, long term self care is practically a guarantee.

Once our kids wake up and we shift into mom-mode, we can move on with our day and whatever it brings feeling that satisfaction that we began the day building ourselves up and as a result all who cross our path will be all the better for it.

Choice Fatigue

Think about how active your days are, and how many surprises happen with kids in one day. As the day moves from morning to midday to afternoon, how many choices do you usually make?

Hard to keep track because between helping your child pick out clothes, arrange breakfast, pack up snacks if your heading out, clear a counter so your kitchen isn’t a chaotic when you return, face traffic, fill the gas etc there’s a plethora of choices big and small that fill up our days, and gradually take our energy.

Down To Scraps By Nightfall

Our attention is spent with each choice we make, our energy is drained with each situation we manage and smooth out. If we plan to set time for ourselves after our kids are in bed, we’re essentially giving ourselves the scraps of us that are left.

Of course we’ll be exhausted at the end of the day and if we love our kids enough to push ourselves to give them the best we can, know that our best grows 10 fold when we’ve started our day, with self care

When we do this first thing in the morning, we’re giving ourselves the crem’ de la crem’ of ourselves.

Undivided Attention is Theraputic

To have your whole attention to yourself for even a solid 30 minutes is indescribably therapeutic. I have friends who leave their kids with their partner or a babysitter to go grocery shopping, just so they can have time alone time under a “good excuse”.

If grocery shopping can be therapeutic because of the fact that for a solid block of time, your energy, thoughts and attention span is all for you, imagine the restorative effect of spending that time doing activities that are done for the sheer enjoyment and delight?

What It Could Be Like

What if that block of time consisted of you drinking your morning coffee outside and enjoying the birdsong?

What if that block involved stretches that left you feeling more relaxed and spacious inside?

If you’ve had it on your heart to bring more spirituality into your life, what kind of mom would your kids wake up to had you dedicated your morning to reading a sacred scripture, praying or meditating?

What look on your face would be greeting your child when they wake up ?

No Other Way To Long Term Self Care

I wish I could say I have found a strategy that allows us moms to sleep in and still begin our day with self care BEFORE our children get up. I understand it may be hard for some of us to wake up earlier, I honestly haven’t found any other way to make sure I get that uninterrupted time as a parent.

To be able to get up earlier then our kids the first and foremost critical thing is to notice what time they usually wake up and plan around that. The second critical step that either makes or breaks waking up earlier, is getting deep sleep. You can check out 2 of my mos popular posts onDeep Sleep part 1 andpart 2. There I share things I have done that have made all the difference in my ability to wake up earlier..

How are you making sure that you fit in your self care this summer?

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Habit changing empowerment blogger

In replacing my harmful habits with better ones, including being a night owl, I've learned so much. Here I share my passion for the benefits of focusing on creating morning routines to transform habits!